Episode 2-a. The City Where Night Never Comes, Tebris. (2)
A massive wall loomed in the distance. And beyond it, buildings soared even higher than the wall itself.
“Usually, there aren’t that many buildings taller than the city walls, but over there, damn near all of them are.”
“Indeed.”
““Wow~””
In a typical city, only the most important structures rose above the walls to flaunt their grandeur—a palace where the emperor or king resided, a temple from the Holy Kingdom, or maybe an adventurer’s guild branch if it was a big one. The walls themselves were already plenty high, so there wasn’t much reason to build anything taller anyway.
But that common sense didn’t seem to apply in Tebris.
Well, with this many people flowing in and out, they had to stack buildings high on limited land just to bleed every last coin from the visitors’ pockets.
Horn grunted nonchalantly as he leaned back, spitting out some classic speciesist crap.
“Humans really do love their pointless bullshit.”
“That’s human-hating speech, you know.”
“What’s it to ya?”
“...”
Dwarf-hate tally: one point. I muttered it to myself as I urged the carriage onward toward the city.
We figured with all the carriages lined up like ants, we wouldn’t get in until nightfall. But they were shuffling through surprisingly fast, one by one, and before long, it was our turn. We rolled right into the city.
They called it a tourist city, alright. Guess they loosen up inspections if it means wringing more cash out of sightseers.
That’s what I thought as I guided the carriage along. The moment we passed through the wall, the dimming sky—already turning dusky—brightened back to a clear, vibrant blue.
“Whoa... that’s wild.”
Letters flying through the air had been pretty amazing too, but magical phenomena like this never got old. Always felt fresh no matter how many times you saw them.
“It’s daytime again, Tori!”
“Yaki, sorry, but I’ve got eyes too.”
The kids gasped in awe, craning their necks to take it all in. Even Aberly slammed his book shut and started peering around eagerly.
But... hmm.
“Hmph. Not a tourist city at all. It’s a den of debauchery, through and through.”
Like Horn said, this wasn’t some family-friendly spot. It was built for adult indulgences.
Those huge buildings we’d spotted from afar? Casinos. And even in broad daylight, seedy red-light streets reeked of sleaze. Tourists with fat coin purses streamed into the glittering facades, while barely dressed women prowled the streets—making the term “nighttime pleasure district” feel like a joke.
From the buildings behind them came faint sounds that no kid should ever hear.
“Tori, Tori, check out that big sis. She’s naked and dancing.”
“...Ain oppa, you okay letting Yaki see that? Looks like stuff she shouldn’t...”
Yeah, not exactly kid-friendly scenery. Hell, they plastered “tourist city” all over the promo, but this was straight-up adult playground territory.
I’d planned to let the twins have fun sightseeing while I dug into the city’s secrets. But that was already going sideways.
“Mommy.”
“That’s mom-hating speech.”
“...Granny.”
“Yeah.”
Hate speech or not, I didn’t care—I just needed to cover the kids’ eyes first. I asked Horn and Aberly to handle it, and they kept the twins’ vision blocked all the way to the inn.
“...Why the hell are they shaking their tits like cheap whores in the middle of the day?”
“There is no middle of the day here, ya dimwit. You explained it yourself—already forgetting?”
“Oh.”
Right. No night.
I glanced back at the wall beyond the city, but inside, the view was nothing but endless clear blue skies. Even though sunset had been falling just before we entered.
One silver lining: plenty of rooms available, against our worries. Inns were cheap too, so we parked the carriage at a decent spot, unpacked lightly, and flopped onto the beds.
““Wow, so fluffy!””
Like the kids said, the beds were ridiculously plush. Not that anyone would sleep anyway—what was the point? Maybe that’s why rooms were so cheap and available.
As I lay there spacing out, Horn’s voice cut through.
“So, what’s the plan now? You’re the one who dragged us here—spit it out.”
“Hm...”
“...Don’t tell me you got nothin’.”
No, not nothing. I sighed, sat up, scanned my blank-faced companions, and laid it out.
“We won’t stay long. You don’t feel fatigue here, but it builds up in your body anyway. Plan’s to wrap up within the max ten days and bail.”
We’d paid for that long at the inn. Most tourists knew you could only last about ten days before the sleep debt hit like a hammer—rough on adults, brutal on kids and elders.
“So don’t go wild just ‘cause you don’t feel tired. No running around, no overexcitement. Accumulated fatigue hits all at once—it’s dangerous.”
Plus, with no tiredness from exercise, that was another trap to avoid.
The group nodded. The twins stopped bouncing on the bed and sat politely.
“Didn’t expect a full-on pleasure pit, so my plan to investigate while the kids played is busted.”
I’d figured casinos and brothels, sure—but not everything being that. My bad.
“Anyway, core stays the same. I’ll focus on the investigation: why no night, and any leads on Nasatya van Gregoryus.”
Our reason for coming hadn’t changed.
“You all poke around suspicious spots as priority. But if you wanna hit a casino or whatever for a day or two, fine. Brothels are off-limits, though.”
I dropped the serious line amid their ridiculous cheers—like a buzzkill at a party.
That covered the basics. The real issue? The two kids beaming innocently from the bed.
“Twins... you wanna wait here safe, or tag along with me? Prefer you stay put, but...”
They bolted off the bed and hugged my legs.
““Let’s go! Chance for a big score!””
They clung tight, rubbing their faces on me. I chuckled and patted their heads.
Soon enough, we geared up and gathered out front, eyeing each other.
Then it hit me—I’d forgotten one thing.
“Oh, right: no clocks inside city buildings. Only public one’s the clock tower in the central square. Don’t lose track of time in a trance.”
“Wait, then how’re we—”
“Let’s set a meetup time. I’ll team with the twins; you, Horn, and Aberly together.”
Only one public clock besides personal ones—which were pricey. Only Horn and I had ours, so those two had to pair up.
“It’s 8 p.m. now. Rendezvous back here in six hours, at 2 a.m. Won’t get tired, but come early if you want.”
“Aye, sounds good.”
Horn nodded, glancing at Aberly sidling up beside him.
“Haha... l-please take care of me, sir.”
“Yeah, yeah. Keep your eyes peeled and stick close—no wandering.”
“Haha... I-I’ll try.”
Aberly bowed slightly to meet Horn’s gaze, all polite-like.
“...Never seen such a rude bastard. Bending down ‘cause I’m short? That’s dwarf discrimination.”
“Oh, i-is it...?”
Hmm. Already a worrying duo. Even if unavoidable, was pairing a raging speciesist geezer with a three-strikes mad doc the right call?
I just wanted to split up and stop watching it.
“...Alright, let’s head out.”
We turned and walked off in opposite directions. The sky was clearer and bluer than anywhere else.
Whispering that it would never end. That eternal white night was an inescapable fate. Never to be surrendered.